


pacemaker

by lepetitloup45, Raserwolf



Series: Pacemaker [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: A good healthy mother and son realtionship, An Actual Family, Angst with a Happy Ending, Autistic Leon, F/M, Gen, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Melony is Raihan's mom, TW: csa mention, TW: surgery, Temporary Character Death, You Know Like A Decent Family, adopted family, heart issues, look I warned y'all, open heart surgery, pacemaker, tramua, trans gordie, trigger warning: csa mention, trigger warning: surgery, y'all ain't gonna be happy with this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:40:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26288884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lepetitloup45/pseuds/lepetitloup45, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raserwolf/pseuds/Raserwolf
Summary: What happens when your heart stops beating?It wasn't like it was the first time Raihan had had issues with his heart.This had always been happening.He thought this was normal.He though it was normal until "normal" landed him in the hospital.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Kabu/Melon | Melony
Series: Pacemaker [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910086
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	pacemaker

**Author's Note:**

> This has been over three months of work put into this giant monster of a chapter and I have only one person to thank and that is Declan. We worked together for a long time - him focusing on the comic while I focused on the writing - and that became Pacemaker  
> This does have a comic counter part and it will be uploaded on @raserwolf on instagram. 
> 
> Anyway - there is only a little bit of joy in this first chapter so don't get your hopes up.  
> This will be slow upload because I am in school and while I can write a lot in a short period of time, there is a lot of detail in these. I know wayy too much about open heart surgery now tbh. 
> 
> This does have ties to the story I wrote earlier this summer about Raihan getting adopted and it's safe to assume all stories I write with him fall into the same timeline as that story unless otherwise stated
> 
> Full disclosure this is 30 pages long

“Electroball,” The kid yelled at his Yamper while pointing at Gladiator, Raihan’s Druadalon. He laughed at that, watching Gladiator doge it easily. He didn’t even realise he was standing so close until the electroball hit him. His mind went numb as his ears filled with a high pitched ringing sound. The fucking electroball hit him. 

He could barely see. His heart felt like it was racing a mile a minute. He was starting to get light headed. He couldn’t even form the words to yell at Darude, his Flygon, to attack back. He didn’t even hear what Rotom was saying to him. 

“Rotom,” He barely said, stumbling slightly over one word. “C-call s-some-someone. I t-think I’m gon-gonna faint.” He stumbled back, hand gripping his chest right above his heart. Was his heart even beating? It felt so weird. His vision went black as he stumbled back and finally fell, hitting the ground hard. He couldn’t even catch his breath. He couldn’t breathe. 

He could still feel the heat from the electroball running up his side and down his arm. He didn’t even know where he got hit. It was just there. Numbing everything around it as it slowly spread.

He was going to die like this. Everything was going numb. He couldn’t see. Or hear. Or feel. He was going to die. 

-

Leon winced as he saw Raihan get hit with the electroball. That was sure to leave a mark, probably burned through his clothes. Raihan stumbled back, a hand over his heart. Even from where he and Gordie were sitting in Raihan’s office, he could tell something was wrong.

“Hey Gordie,” Leon said, not taking his eyes off Raihan. “Is Raihan okay?”

“He’s Raihan. He’s probably being dramatic,” Gordie said, not even looking up from his phone. “He’s always had issues with his chest hurting after some things. Why is something - oh.” Gordie had finally looked up and saw what Leon was seeing, Raihan on the ground, barely moving. 

“I think we need to go,” Leon said, not even hesitating to turn and begin to run down to the pitch.

“Right behind you.” Gordie said, not even hesitating.

That was the first time Leon had ever seen something like that happen to Raihan. Sure sometimes he complained about his chest hurting after they had worked out, but nothing that serious before. Raihan was in good health as far as Leon knew. 

He had never known an electroball to hurt someone, the most they did was burn the skin. This was definitely odd. 

He jumped the fence to the pitch easily, sprinting to where his boyfriend was lying and where his gym trainers were gathered around him, but his attention got pulled away by an angry Darude screeching. Of course, Raihan’s protective ass Flygon was mad about his daddy getting hurt.

“DARUDE,” Leon yelled, pulling the Flygon’s attention aways from the poor trainer that was about to get mauled. “Get back over here! Don’t you DARE act like that mister!” 

Gordie was already by Raihan’s side, checking on everything and talking to one of the gym trainers about something. Leon needed to be over there, but both Gladiator and Darude were going to throw a fit if they couldn’t see Raihan. 

“Lee! Catch!” Gordie’s voice made him turn, just to see two of Raihan’s ultraballs being thrown in his direction. Luckily, there were a few things Leon was good at and being able to catch things that were being thrown at him was one of them.

“Now I know Gladi will make this easy but Darude, you gotta get in the PokeBall my dude. It’s not that hard.” Bargaining with Raihan’s Pokemon should literally be a full time job at this point. They were impossible, especially when they were upset. “I know I’m not your daddy but please, I don’t have time to fuck around. Please just do this.”

For once, Darude actually listened. 

He rushed back over to Raihan’s side, both Pokemon safely in their Pokeballs and tucked away. Raihan was motionless and that’s what scared Leon the most.

“See if you can find a pulse,” Gordie instructed, panic very notable in his voice. “ROTOM HOW FAR AWAY IS THAT AMBULANCE?” 

“They have just arrived sir,” The Pokemon buzzed. 

Leon heard Gordie breathe a sigh of relief at that point. Neither of them could find a pulse and that was bad news for everyone. There was no way that an electroball hurt Raihan like that. They only really stung and the Yamper couldn’t have been that strong.

They all moved back when the EMTs came rushing towards him. There was an obvious panic on Gordie’s face as they realized the same thing they had both realized - Raihan had no pulse. Raihan was dead. Leon and Gordie shared a look - both worried and scared that something worse could happen. 

Leon’s ears started ringing, he could only focus on the CPR that one EMT was doing. There was no way this was really happening. He was already starting to shake, staring at what was most likely the dead body of his boyfriend. There was no way to truly process what was happening. Why was that what killed Raihan and not the numerous other dumb things he had done in his life?

“Pulse is back,” The EMT said, not taking her eyes off Raihan who was now only showing slight signs of being alive. Leon could still barely hear what they were saying. “We gotta move quick.”

Gordie’s hand on his shoulder finally pulled him from his daze. Raihan was off the pitch at that point, being rolled away in a stretcher. He was still so confused. Why did it have to be Raihan?

“Come on let’s go,” Gordie said, grabbing Leon’s hand and dragging him along. “Someone can bring our stuff later. We just gotta go.”

“Are you gonna drive?” Leon asked, not even realizing that it was him talking. 

“No. Taxi is gonna be quicker.” His sentences were short and choppy. Leon could hear the anxiety building in his voice. 

“What about Melony?”

Gordie froze at that, the grip on Leon’s hand growing tighter. They both stopped in the Hammerlocke gym foyer. 

“I’ll call her in the taxi. Le-let’s just be there for Rai. Please.” Gordie’s voice broke half way through his thought. Leon could hear the pain in his voice and it scared him. Gordie was never afraid - or at least he never showed it. 

Leon followed Gordie to where two crovitaxis waited in the front of the gym, a small crowd already gathering around where Raihan was being loaded into a special hospital airlift. Gordie was bargaining with one of the taxi drivers, saying something Leon couldn’t quite hear. Everything was so loud. His heart was pounding in his ears. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the crowd surrounding them. It was too much to process. 

“Let’s go Lee.” Gordie pulled him into the taxi, flipping off a few people who were taking photos. 

The taxi was surprisingly warm when he sat down. Gordie was already on his phone, talking to someone that Leon couldn’t quite hear. The conversation seemed rushed and afraid. Whatever Gordie was saying seemed important, but his ears were still ringing. 

“Mama I swear I would never lie about this.” Leon overheard. “I promise. Yes, we’re on our way there. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

Leon was starting to shake at this point. Raihan was perfectly healthy. He shouldn’t have been hurt. He didn’t even know where they were going. Gordie had said something about Wydon but Leon wasn’t even sure that was what he said. He was twirling his hair in between his fingers, trying to forget about the looming threat of the death of the man he loved so much. He hated that he could see Raihan’s air lift, not too far in front of their own taxi. He hated that he could still see how Raihan fell on that pitch, clutching at his heart before closing his eyes for what could possibly be the last time. He hated that he could still picture the look of shock on Raihan’s face as he fell. He hated that he -

“Hey,” Gordie’s voice broke through his thoughts, grabbing onto his hands with his own. He could see the faint trail of tears down his cheeks. “He’ll be okay. He’s Raihan. He’s strong. He won’t give up like this.”

Leon hoped Gordie was right. 

-

It was no surprise to Melony that she got there before Gordie or Leon. The minute she hung up with Gordie, she had sped out of her gym parking lot just to try to make it to the hospital on time. She didn’t even get the full story of how Raihan ended up going into the hospital in the first place. Gordie had been all over the place trying to tell her what had been going on. All she really grasped was that Raihan collapsed on the pitch and now he and Leon were in a crovitaxi following Raihan’s airlift to the hospital. 

The drive was short. The hospital in Wydon was only a twenty minute drive from the gym on a good day. She could barely focus on the road as she sped towards the hospital, her mind racing with the possibilities of what could have happened. Was there a wreck? Did he get hurt? Was he…. dead?

The traffic wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The longer she waited in the backed up traffic trying to get off the highway to the hospital exit, the more the anxiety ate at her heart. Raihan didn’t need to be alone during this. She needed to be there. 

The parking lot was surprisingly empty as she pulled in, not even really caring how badly she was parked. Her only concern was finding out where Raihan had gone and what was really going on. She could see a crovitaxi sitting on the emergency landing pad not too far from the emergency room entrance.

Part of her was terrified. What if Raihan had gotten more hurt on the way here? What if he had died and nobody was there with him? She couldn’t handle the thought of what if right now. Raihan was hurt and it mattered more to her that she was there with him than wondering what was going to happen two or three hours from now. 

She made her way into the emergency room, looking for any sign of where Raihan may have gone. Barely anyone was in the waiting room, which was saying something for Wydon. It was scary, coming here alone in the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday. It didn’t feel right.

“I’m looking for Raihan,” She said as she approached the front desk. “He’s my son and I really need to see him.”

“What’s your relation to him?” A nurse asked, barley even listening to what Melony had said. “We’re only letting family back as of right now.”

“I’m literally his mother. Please I really need to see him.”

“Do you have proof of your identification?”

Melony rolled her eyes, grabbing her wallet out of her purse and shoving her driver’s license into the nurse’s hand.

“Please ma’am. That’s my son. If something is wrong, I want to be there with him.”

“Come with me,” the nurse sighed, handing back Melony’s driver’s license and standing up to show her to where Raihan was. The nurse mentioned something to the other woman about telling the private part of the hospital that they were going to show up. 

She was led down a confusing set of hallways, away from the emergency room to two double doors.

“They brought Mister Ayad-Perez back here. Another nurse should be coming to get you to bring you back here soon,” the nurse sighed, obviously over this. “Is there anyone else coming for him?”

“Yes. My other son and the champion.” Melony eyed the doors anxiously, praying Raihan was okay. 

“We’ll send them back when they come.”

By the time Melony looked back at the double doors, another nurse was holding one door open and motioning for her to follow.

“Before I take you back to see him, can you confirm his full name? We have to take extra precautions due to his status as a gym leader.” At least this nurse sounded nicer.

“Raihan Kibana James Ayad-Perez. Is he okay?” She tried not to let the anxiety show in her voice, though she knew it was there anyway.

“You’ll see. Please feel free to follow me this way.”

The nurse led Melony down a second hall, stopping in front of an open door. 

“A doctor will be in soon,” The nurse said, waving slightly as she left and Melony entered the room.

The scene in the room before her was heartbreaking. Raihan was sitting in a hospital bed that was too small for him, writhing in pain while tears streamed down his cheeks. Her heart broke watching Raihan try to stifle his tears as two other nurses and a doctor tried to take his vitals.

“Mummy…” Raihan mumbled, weakly reaching out for her the moment they locked eyes, making Melony’s heart shatter into a million pieces. 

She sat down on the side of his bed, brushing his hair with her hand. 

“You’re going to be okay baby boy,” she whispered, holding onto his hand tightly. “Mama’s right here baby.”

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, clinging onto her hand, nuzzling into her touch. “It hurts so much.”

Melony could have sobbed at this point. He looked dead. His lips were turning blue at this point and she was starting to feel afraid for him. She felt so bad that he was this hurt. 

“We’re gonna have to call in Brandson,” the doctor mumbled, listening to how fast Raihan’s heart monitor was beeping. “There is no way that he’s going to be okay.”

Melony sighed, finally sitting down beside his bed, still keeping a nice grip on his hand. 

“Sir can you please relax your left hand,” a kind voice of a nurse interrupted Melony’s constant stream of thoughts. “We need to get this IV in.”

“His hand was severely broken as a kid,” Melony said, looking at the nurse. “It healed badly and now it’s permanently like that. That’s the most relaxed it’ll be.”

The nurse nodded, cringing slightly as she forced the IV into his vein, making Raihan yelp in pain. The more Melony looked at him, the more she felt horrible. His shirt and jacket were cut open to reveal his severely burnt side and bruised chest. His breath was wheezy as he struggled to breathe and keep a steady grip on her hand. 

Another few minutes of constant beeping was interrupted by two doctors entering the room. The pain meds had started to take effect and Melony watched as Raihan lulled off, still holding her hand tightly. The two doctors were discussing something that Melony didn’t understand, but she tried to remain hopeful. 

“This is my young heart attack, yes?” The newer doctor asked, looking over Raihan’s chart. “He seems to be a healthy twenty one year old so what could have happened here?” The doctor looked at Melony expectantly.

“Uh, according to my other son, he passed out after being hit with an electroball. I was at work but he saw the whole thing,” Melony stumbled out, comfortingly rubbing Raihan’s hand with her thumb. 

The doctor nodded, putting on a glove and pulling down Raihan’s lower lip. 

“He’s going hypoxic,” he said, before pointing at a nurse. “Get him an oxygen mask. We’re going to have to do surgery.”

“W-what’s wrong?”

“I think his heart may have a hole in it, hence the hypoxia, he’s too young and fit for a major clot. We need to open him up quick to see if I’m correct.”

The doctors and nurses rushed around Raihan, not that Melony was fully paying attention. Raihan was weakly grabbing onto her hand. She tried desperately not to notice how cold his hand was or how blue he looked.

“Mama,” his voice cracked. “I’m gonna be just fine mama.”

“Don’t try to stress yourself honey,” she stumbled, “you need to save your energy.” Of course it would be her son trying to comfort her when he was quite literally dying.

“It’ll be okay mama.” His voice sounded so rough. He didn’t sound like the Raihan that she knew. “I’ll be okay if I die.”

Melony tried to ignore the loud sob from Leon, who was standing in the corner of the room. She couldn’t believe that this was really happening. That Raihan was dying right in front of her.

Raihan looked like he felt bad. His chest had to hurt and probably felt sore from where they had performed CPR to revive him. 

Melony noticed he didn’t look right while the cardiologist pulled out a marker and began marking his chest for the surgery. Obviously he looked a mess to begin with but something about the way his pupils were thinned to little indistinguishable slits was off putting. She held his hand tight, concern etched into every line in her features as she desperately tried to console him. His mouth was winding up at one corner and his eyes shot open to their fullest extent, brows screwing up in pain as he choked on his breath.

“Mama— heart—“ he wheezed, trying to sit up.

He trembled, the panic and pain clear as he weakly strained to grab his chest. She barely noticed the furious beeping of the ecg before his hand tightened brutally on her own and he fell back onto the pillows, the horrifying hum of his flatline filling her head. 

“Raihan—“ she tried, panicking when his eyes settled into a blank stare, but was pulled away from him by a nurse.

She barely had time to process the way his hand fell, lifeless, from her grip before the nurses and cardiologist were unlocking the wheels on his bed and taking him out of the room. They were gone as fast as he had died. Seconds. Her mind grasped onto the panic making its way further and further down the hall. A door opened and the screaming of the wheels and the constant sound of his flatline disappeared.

Her whole world had just been flipped and the silence hurt more than anything she could’ve imagined. The loss of his fluttering monitor made the room feel empty and her brain could barely take in the void of space that Raihan had just been occupying. Everything, the ecg, his bed, the IV line they had been setting up, him, was all gone.

Gordie’s hold around her waist brought her tumbling into the harshness of reality. Leon choked on a sob behind her. Gordie was shaking. She was shaking.

He had died.

Raihan, her son, had died.

They all let their tears catch up to them as they sat in the so very empty room. She couldn’t even begin to process how heavy his hand was when it fell. His eyes, beautiful blue eyes, had stared blank, unseeing, though the shock on his face couldn’t have been more apparent. His words were replaying over and over in her head. His heart. His poor heart. How could they have never known? Never looked into something so blatantly abnormal. The guilt was beginning to press on her being as the door was thrown open. One of the nurses stood there, eyes fixing wildly on the three of them.

“He’s stable. He’s currently being prepped for surgery— but he’s stable.” He panted.

Her previous whirlwind of thoughts was being overwhelmed by the prospect of Raihan being alive. She has barely even started to entertain the possibility of his death and now he was back? The only emotion she could truly identify was shock. It was like one part of her mind was screaming with denial of his death and the other was trying to wrap around his life. He was alive. How fractionally alive, she didn’t know, but his heart was no longer ceased and that’s all that mattered in that moment. Leon made an incomprehensible noise somewhere to her left and it hit her that he was likely feeling the same thing, only for his lover. 

“Doctor Brandson says you can come wait by the room, they’re currently beginning to perform open heart, I believe he’s uncovered the issue. You may stay here if you’d rather not be near the surgery room though…”

Melony jumped on the opportunity to be even a little bit closer to Raihan.

“Y—yes! Yes… we’ll come sit by the room.”

“Well follow me then.” He guided, smiling in the most comforting way he could.

They followed the nurse down the hall to the surgery room and Melony was a bit surprised when she saw that there were windows looking in. And there was Raihan, sprawled out on the table, almost so big that his knees bent off the end, with a copper coloured liquid on top of his bruised deep brown skin. There were some chairs, but Melony could only bring herself to slide down onto the floor, listening to the heart monitor beat steady. 

Her eyes followed the path of the wall up to find Leon. He was a mess. Trembling all over and twisting his foot harshly into the floor while flapping his hands vigorously at his side, he simply stared at her. 

“Lee, sweetie, come here…” she cooed, almost inaudibly.

Leon spilled onto the floor beside her and rocked back and forth. She placed a gentle hand in his hair and rubbed his scalp very gently before letting her fingers find his spine and tracing the line up and down. His shaking began to subside, but he couldn’t stop stimming. Gordie, who had resigned to one of the chairs by the window, almost fell flat when she gestured for him to come sit. He scrambled to hug her, and sighed slightly when her hand wrapped around his shoulders. 

The comfort was interrupted by Doctor Brandson coming out of the surgery room and looking around a bit before finding them on the floor. He had a surgical mask covering his mouth and nose and his gloves and arms up to above his elbow were lathered in that coppery fluid. 

“Well hullo you three,” he greeted, slipping the arms of his blue surgical gown over himself and tying up the back, “I’ve been able to find the source of Raihan’s issue, I feel like an idiot for not noticing sooner, however that’s not the point. The point is that he has an untreated hole in his heart that doesn’t appear to have healed like it typically would in a young child, and it’s gone and ripped itself open wider from the vigorous strain of his arrhythmia and being shocked.” 

Melony blinked at him, dumbfounded.

“I know you are his mother, so do you have any ideas how this would have occurred?”

“I— Raihan’s adopted, I only have had him since he was 13. All I really know is that he came from an abusive household and was— was really malnourished…”

Doctor Brandson hummed to himself.

“I figured as much. Well, no time to waste! I’ll take care of your son yes?” 

She barely responded before he was returning to the room and instructing his fellow surgeons to hand him his tool tray. It was a lot of information to process. Untreated hole in his heart, arrhythmia, ripped open, and that he had recognized her as his mother and called Raihan her son. It was a lot, but she couldn’t help the tiny bit of joy that washed over her.

Her brain finally was allowed a moment to breathe, to process, to take in everything that had just happened. She didn’t really fully comprehend that that was Raihan on the surgical table until she stared blankly at the wall listening to Doctor Brandson asking for his scalpel. Leon stimmed violently with an aggressive hand flap and keeled over to curl onto the cold tile, his hair falling in thick tresses around him. Gordie looked over at him and scooted over to comfort him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. He finally laid still, and Melony found herself needing to stand. She felt anxious and sick, but Raihan was alive and that’s all she cared about. 

A huge part of her wanted to glimpse what exactly her baby was going through, another knew it would be bloody and sensitive. They were dealing with his heart after all. She sighed, holding her hips and simply staring at the wall, thinking, processing, letting the information of the past 45 minutes sink in. A light tap on her shoulder jolted her attention back to reality, where a small nurse about as tall as her handed her a chunky clipboard with what looked to be about 50 pages packed onto it.

“We need all of this filled out for Mister Raihan,” she said, looking a little rattled behind her mask, “all his medical history and the consent forms for the current operation if you could.” 

Melony grabbed the clipboard and pen from the little nurse and watched her walk back into the surgery room to supervise another clipboard packed full of papers. Doctor Brandson started talking when she was back in the room, making Melony assume she was noting the happenings of the surgery. She resigned to sliding down the wall opposite to where Leon and Gordie now sat side by side in an anxious huddle. The clipboard in her lap was packed, and when she flipped through it it was lines and lines of endless response spaces. The last thing she wanted to do was paperwork, but she supposed it could keep her mind off the window across from her.

She had been filling out the boxes about his young care with a whole lot of no answers abbreviations when her attention was ripped away from the papers by a rather loud electrical hum. She couldn’t place the whirring on anything she knew to be used typically in a surgery but found her brain reeling when she looked up. Raihan’s chest was open to the pearl white of his bones straight down the center where the rich reddish brown of his muscles was exposed, pulled back, on either side of his massive rib cage. The sight was nauseating enough but when her focus moved to Doctor Brandson holding a small rotary saw bent over Raihan’s sternum she had to look away.

“Melony,” Kabu’s voice dragged her away from the scene in front of her. “Holy shit. What’s going on?” 

She looked at her husband with a confused look, not sure if he missed the giant window that showed where Raihan was slowly getting his chest sawed open by his specialist. She placed the paperwork on the ground in front of her. They were hooking Raihan up to some machine. A giant machine that looked like it was hooked up to Raihan’s veins. She could only look for a few seconds, not even wanting to picture what he was going through.

“Come here,” she said to Kabu, dragging him out by his hand and into the hallway outside of the room. 

Kabu’s hand was a familiar comfort to Melony, one that she desperately needed right now. As soon as they were out of the room, she allowed her husband to pull her into a hug as she began to cry into her shoulder. It was all starting to become too much for her. 

He held her close, running his hand gently up and down her back and letting her cry. She hadn’t even had the time to tell him the first time what was going on. It was terrifying. But she let him hold her and comfort her. 

“What’s really going on,” he said in a low whisper, still running his hand up and down her back. “This is all over the news. Some people are saying Raihan’s dead and others are saying that he almost died. What’s really going on?”

“He’s technically died twice,” Melomy mumbled back, not removing her head from her husband’s shoulder. “The first time was on that pitch. Then he flatlined right before they brought him into surgery. I still don’t even really know what they’re doing. They’ve thrown so much information at us in the last hour.”

“Did that electroball really kill him? I’ve been hit by one and all I had issues with was being burnt. I just can’t believe it.”

“That’s what pebble said. And when Doctor Brandson saw him he said something else was wrong and it wasn’t just the electroball. I don’t know. I just can’t believe he’s here and he died twice. I was holding his hand and-” She started sobbing halfway through the sentence as Kabu held onto her tightly. She had cried in front of Kabu before, this was nothing new, but she still felt so hurt. Kabu sighed and wrapped her in a tighter hug, rocking her slowly back and forth as she cried. 

She could still hear the bone saw in the background, still slowly cutting Raihan’s chest open. The sound hurt to hear. No twenty one year old should be having open heart surgery. No twenty one year old should have to die twice just for them to figure out something was wrong. The sound burned at her ears, making her gag slightly.

“Holy shit Mel,” he mumbled, kissing her forehead softly. “Is he gonna live?”

“If they can figure out what’s wrong with him. I don’t want to even think of him dying right now. It’s already been too much.” She leaned back from the tight embrace, not fully detangling herself from his arms, but enough so she could see his face. “How did you even get up here? They aren’t letting anyone up here unless they’re hospital staff.”

“I spent twenty minutes trying to bargain with a nurse before one of Leon’s security team recognized me. I had to come and see you guys. Is it just Gordie with you?”

“No. Lee’s here too. They both saw it happen the first time and then pebble called me when they were in a taxi on the way up here. I got here before them and now we’re here. It’s just been a stressful day.”

“Obviously,” Kabu sighed, kissing her forehead again. “What about our baby Mel? Do you think this could hurt them?”

“Do you really think I care about them right now? I mean I do, but that’s not the baby I’m worried about. My baby is on the operating table, getting his chest cut open. I have to have him as my top priority right now. You know that.” 

“I’m sorry darling.” 

The grinding of the bone saw had stopped, making Melony freeze slightly. She didn’t want to look, but Kabu pulled out of the loose hug to look into the room.

“Oh god that’s literally disgusting,” he said, turning right back around to Melony.

“What’s happening,” she asked, fearing another flatline or worse, another issue.

“They’re like cracking his chest open,” Kabu said with a gag at the end. “I have seen way too much of the actual inside of Rai now and I never want to see it again.”

Melony grimaced at that, trying not to imagine what the inside of Raihan looked like. 

She heard rather quiet murmuring back and forth from the surgery room but her focus settled on the beep of the heart monitor. It went steady in between hiccups of arrhythmic beating, and her stomach flipped every time his heart missed beats or fluttered. She had started to calm after a pattern of his heart returning to its normal rather shallow beat. The irregularity was as anxiety inducing as it was comforting. It gave her something to lock onto. It made the minutes hurt a little less. 

Kabu tried and failed to hide a gag and she realized he had been looking at the surgery room down the hall.

“What are they doing?” She barely whispered.

“Hooking him up to— to a big line— eugh Arceus…” Kabu breathes like he was holding back a whole lot of vomit.

Melony shivered thinking of all the things being done to her baby to save his life. Horribly invasive things right in the most fragile area. Why did it have to be his heart? It could’ve been anything, absolutely anything, less sensitive and nauseating to everybody involved. She kicked herself for such a selfish thought. Now was not the time for such a debate. 

Kabu holding her a little tighter brought her attention back to the room and she was bombarded by Raihan’s heart monitor racing faster and faster into inhuman levels of speed and flutter. They were short, fast, sequential beats slowly falling farther and farther off kilter until his heart skipped once, twice, and stopped.

She let out a strangled sob at the sound. The sound that signified that Raihan was gone. He was gone. For the third time in one day. He had died.

Kabu held her closer, running his fingers through her hair as she sobbed, not even trying to be quiet. She could hear him quietly sniffling too as he rocked both of them in an attempt to calm her down.

“He’s… he’s in a better place Mel,” he said, obviously in an attempt to comfort her. “He’ll be happy. You’ll get a chance to say goodbye.”

She just nodded and sobbed again, not wanting to let go of Kabu. He was her only source of comfort and it hurt more than she could ever explain when he so easily accepted Raihan’s death.

“You’ll get to see him once more. He loved you so much.”

Her sobs hurt her body. She had never been hurt as much as she was hurting now. Raihan was dead. He had died at such a young age on an operating table by himself. He had his entire life in front of him.

The shock that overtook her was just as overwhelming as the last time. Nothing could prepare her for the very real possibility that her poor baby boy could die on the table. No mother is ever prepared for her child’s death.

“Come on bud, come on,” Doctor Brandson urged, “come on you can do it kid.”

The comfort that gave Melony was indescribable, she had to look, morbidly curious now hearing Brandson’s encouragement.

She wasn’t prepared for Brandson’s hand to be very much inside Raihan, nor was she expecting how bright the inside of his chest was. Very red. A bit of slight yellow. Even blue. It was so much. The adrenaline was the only thing keeping her from sicking up on the spot. There was a shout at the switch of that massive machine being flipped, and Raihan’s body flexed up ever so slightly from whatever they had done. She had to look away when his blood started circulating through those thick clear tubes attached to him. The tension finally let loose and there was a beat. One after the other in succession.

He was alive. That was a heartbeat.

Melony looked on the ground where Gordie and Leon were still sitting. Leon had curled himself into a tight ball, rocking ever so slightly back and forth, tapping his sternum with his fingers. Seeing Leon stim like he was, slowly breaking down over the fact he just watched his lover die… again. Gordie was curled against the back of the wall, curling himself in a ball as he silently cried.

“Come here sweet boy,” she said as she sat down beside Leon, motioning for him to come closer to her so she could comfort him as needed. “He’s gonna be okay.”

There was a moment of silence where Leon cuddled into her side as she rubbed gently up and down his back, doing her best to comfort him even if she didn’t really know how. She could still see the tear stains down his cheeks as he slowly moved.

“Will you three be okay if I head out?” Kabu asked, walking in and standing in front of the group. “I can go and grab anything you want. Food. Raihan’s stuff.”

“Me and Leon left our things in Raihan’s office. It’s just my wallet and my keys and Leon’s bag,” Gordie mumbled from where he was sitting, not even moving his head out of his hands. “Lee mentioned something about wanting Raihan’s stuffie from his room.”

“I can get that. Anything else? Food? Clothes?”

“Can you pick me up some pad Thai and a Sprite? I really want something to eat.” Leon’s voice was barely above a whisper as he clung onto Melony still. “And Sprite makes my head feel better.”

“Can you pick me up something too? A grilled cheese. Maybe some soup. I know I need to eat.” Melony tried to sound happier than she was. Truthfully, she only really wanted the grilled cheese because of Raihan’s love for them as a kid. She needed something to remind her of when he was younger and happier and not on the verge of death. 

“I’ll take a burrito and a Mountain Dew,” Gordie mumbled again, this time sitting more upright.

“Alright. I’ll bring you another change of clothes Mel,” Kabu said, looking up from where he had been typing something on his phone. “Gym uniforms aren’t comfy. Do either of you want something else to wear?”

“I leave my sweatpants at Rai’s. Can I have some?” Leon sounded so scared. He barely even lifted his head from Melony’s shoulder as she gently calmed him down. He didn’t even look Kabu in the eye.

“Of course. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” 

With that Kabu left, leaving Melony with two scared boys who were too scared to leave her side. Leon was mostly asleep at this point. He had cried himself out and now he was clinging onto Melony for comfort and she was just letting him. It was going to be a long evening.

She noticed Gordie in the corner, half hunched over with his glasses on the floor in front of him as he wiped his eyes. 

“Pebble, darling,” She stated, grabbing his attention. “Why don’t you go take your binder off darling? You’re gonna get hurt.”

Gordie just nodded, grabbing his glasses and putting them back on before standing up and making his way to the door. He didn’t have to say anything for Melony to notice how upset he looked. She knew that he and Raihan had had a rough start, but they were close now. It killed her to see him so upset.

As Gordie left, her focus was pulled back to Leon who was still cuddled very closely to her side. The steady beep of Raihan’s heart monitor was the only truly comforting thing that she could cling onto. At least Raihan was alive.

-

The bathroom was right down the hall but by the time Gordie actually ducked into the bathroom, the tears had already started to fall. His chest felt tight with tears he hadn’t cried in years. He really liked Raihan. It took him years to admit it, but he actually did. He pressed his back up against the cold tile wall, slowly sinking down to the ground and letting out a loud sob that shattered the silence in the ever so silent bathroom.

He hated that he had made that joke, not three days ago, in the middle of an argument. He hated that he told Raihan to die. He was mad. He hated that he would willingly tell someone he loved so dearly that he wanted them to kill themself. He hated that he had once hated Raihan. 

Raihan was always a nice person to him. He still never understood why. It took him years to get to the point where he would even look at Raihan in a good light. But Raihan was nice regardless. He was a good older brother. He never acted like it, always teasing Gordie or playing rough, but he treated him like a human. Gordie had never done that. Hell, they never got close until Gordie had turned sixteen and Raihan had taken him on a week-long vacation to their auntie’s house in Alola. 

That was really when Gordie realized Raihan always just wanted to be his brother. He had always wanted a family and Gordie had always tried to get away. He had always been a pain. Yet Raihan had loved him unconditionally and Gordie had to admit he loved him too (even after he broke his arm once). 

The tightness in his chest from all the sobbing was only matched by the restricting material of his new binder. Why did he even buy this thing? He was supposed to be getting top surgery in less than two months now and he could have gone without a brand new one. He reached up behind him to lock the door, something he failed to do before now so he didn’t have to worry about anyone walking in and seeing him without a shirt. He already hated when his mama walked in on him unexpectedly and this would be even worse.

He curled into himself the second the tight fabric was removed from his body. The world that he had built with his family that included the annoying older brother that his mama decided to adopt was slowly crashing around him and everything was going to change if worse came to worse. He needed to be with his family. He needed to be there for his mama. 

He slipped his baggy tshirt back on, shivering as the cold of the hospital actually hit him. He unlocked the door, not even bothering to see how messed up he probably looked in the mirror. He made his way back to the room, arms wrapped around himself as he slipped into the room - hoping not to draw too much attention to himself.

Melony was still sitting in the same position with Leon’s head in her lap as she braided a small section of his hair to keep it out of his face. 

“Are you okay pebble,” she asked, looking him in the eye. 

He just shrugged, not even wanting to risk exposing how rough his voice sounded. 

“Come here then,” Melony said, motioning for him to come sit by her. “Grab that paperwork for me before you sit though. I need to finish that.”

He nodded once again, grabbing the clipboard from the floor opposite his mother and then sitting down beside her, placing his head on her shoulder. She placed a kiss on the top of his head, smiling slightly. 

“Te amo,” she whispered, making Gordie smile slightly.

“Te amo mama,” he whispered back, giving his mother a sideways hug.

-

Leon was half asleep on Melony’s lap, clinging onto her hat as she gently brushed his hair out of his face. Gordie was no better as he was mainly resting his head on her shoulder and watching as she tried to fill out the paperwork on the clipboard in front of her.

She still couldn’t stand up to look at what was going on in the surgery room. It was too nauseating to even think about, much less look at, but her attention was drawn away from the blurred lines of paperwork by a nurse who walked in the room with another small clipboard.

“According to Doctor Brandson,” the nurse started, making Melony’s heart skip a beat in fear. “Mister Perez will need a blood transfusion and while we could use blood we have in storage, he wanted me to check with you all to see if any of you match.”

Leon sat up and rummaged around in his shorts pocket for a moment, adjusting a bit to pull out a card.

“I-I’m O negative—I could give.” He stammered slightly, showing the nurse his ID with his blood type marker.

She read over his card and scribbled something down on the clipboard before looking up at him.

“Alright, thank you so much sir,” she said, handing him back the ID before looking back at Melony and Gordie. “Can either of you give any blood? Mister Perez needs a lot of blood and any blood we can get can help.”

“Can I give if I am on Vyvanse? It’s my ADHD medicine but I think I’m the same type as Rai and I can try to help,” Gordie asked, sitting up and looking up at the nurse with a confused look.

“No sir, if you take your medicine everyday, you are not eligible to give,” The nurse said, looking back down at her clipboard.

“I know I’m the same blood type as Rai. I can give,” Melony offered, noticing a small smile grow on the nurse’s face.

“That’s great! Is there any chance that you are pregnant? I have to ask.”

Fuck. Melony’s stomach dropped at the question. She hadn’t had the chance to tell her family, besides Kabu, that she was pregnant.

“I’m two months along,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I can still give. Right?”

“Unfortunately, no ma’am. Pregnancy hormones could have a negative effect on Mister Perez.”

She really wished she could ignore Gordie’s burning glare.

“Right this way sir.” She instructed, beckoning Leon along to follow her down the hall.

He shot an anxious glance back at Melony and she immediately stood to follow when she saw the state of him already.

“Don’t much like getting blood drawn…” he mumbled when Melony trotted up to his side.

“I’ll be right here if you need me.” Melony assured with a small barely there smile.

The nurse took them into a room a little ways down the hall and had Leon sit on a rather intimidating exam chair that was slightly reclined. Melony saw his grip tighten on her hat as he laid his arm on the wide rest, trembling slightly. The nurse talked him through the prep but Melony could tell he wasn’t listening. His eyes were fixed on a point on the doorframe and he was beginning to lightly stim with the hand that wasn’t being swabbed with alcohol. His fingers were tapping harder and harder on his sternum and he visibly paled when the nurse fastened the tourniquet around the swell of his bicep.

“Deep breath Mister Kingston.” The nurse cooed gently before sliding the needle into the crux of his arm.

Leon gave a half aborted gasp and turned his head away, knees curling in slightly before his energy exerted itself in the frantic tapping. Even Melony could hear the bump of his knuckles on his chest as he gave a loud trill and stopped to grab the hat in his lap and shove his face into it as he let out a flurry of muffled vocal tics. She cradled his head gently, feeling him shake as he knocked his forehead against her chest lightly. She could hardly look at the rich red blood filling the donor bag. Leon was her priority now.

Her heart ached when he started to press his head hard into her chest and strangle in gasps of air like he was crying. She ran a gentle finger down his neck once she was able to find it under his thick hair and breathed a slight sigh when the continuous trill he had been letting out quieted. 

The nurse fastened the close on the shockingly full blood bag and disconnected the line into Leon’s arm. Melony was worried at how weak his stimming had gotten. The once strong head knocks and stressed breaths that produced his trilling had abnormally quelled and it was a bit disconcerting considering she’d held him through many a meltdown and he’d never calmed down like this. He was shaking just as hard as he was when they started, but his movements were tired and deadened. 

The nurse pulled the needle out of his arm and pressed a cotton ball over the area quickly. Leon’s head slammed back against the chair and he gave a low groan as his hand came up to slap his cheek. His other tried to but the nurse kept it down with gentle pressure. His knees drew up and Melony properly focused on his face rather than the tourniquet being removed. 

Fuck he looked a mess. Tears streaking his reddened cheeks and his lips were parted, puffy, and partially bleeding from him biting her hat. His gold eyes were half lidded and bleary but the whites were visibly irritated. Melony used her sleeve to wipe his tears and the nurse offered a tissue for the snot and bloody lip. He turned away from the tissue with a small grunt.

“Lee sweetie you’re covered in snot, I’m just gonna clean it up okay?” Melony cooed ever so gently.

He looked up at her, visibly feeling incredibly unwell, and shook his head. 

She looked at the damp, slightly ruined, hat and felt the scarf around her neck. The way his expression lit up imperceptibly when she undid the fasten made a wave of relief wash over her. He flapped his free hand and made a grabby motion at the scarf as she handed it to him. Leon took the scarf and rubbed his cheek against the soft plush fur.

The nurse gathered up the bulging donor bag and thanked him after putting a bandage on his arm in a funny crossed pattern that made him reach for the fixed down cotton ball, but Melony stopped him and gave him the scarf again. 

“Here sir, for your incredible contribution.” The nurse praised, holding out a box of quite large cookies.

Leon gawked at them for a moment and tapped on his sternum a few times before grabbing a chocolate chip cookie and stuffing it lazily into his mouth while laughing a bit drunkenly.

“Cookie.” He offered simply at Melony like he was just discovering it, who smiled and nodded like she was talking to an overeager toddler.

“Very nice Lee.” She sighed, a slight smile on her lips as she laughed to herself.

The perk of energy was fading out of Leon quickly, she could see it in his body language by the way he was beginning to knock his head lightly against the back of the chair.

“You two take all the time you need. Thank you again Mister Kingston.” The nurse said before leaving the room with the door open while Melony chewed her cheek.

Leon was… six foot and easily double her weight. How she was going to get him back down the hall in such a state she had absolutely no idea. 

She poked her head out of the room to look down the hall where Gordie was sitting under the window of the surgery room. He was hunched over on his phone but she hoped he’d be aware enough to hear her so she would absolutely not have to yell next to Leon.

“Gordie dear?” She called at a relatively normal speaking voice.

Luckily he perked up with a quiet “Hm?” and followed when she beckoned him over.

“I need help getting Leon back over to where we’re sitting. He’s in… quite a state…”

“A state?” Gordie asked, coming into the room where Leon was still bumping his head against the chair. 

“Ah.”

Melony came back over to pet Leon’s hair, calming his stim slightly.

“Do you want to lay on the floor again Lee? Cold tile?” She asked, brushing his bangs into line with her finger.

He nodded shakily and allowed the assist from her and Gordie to sit up and slide off the chair until his feet hit the ground. He stomped and almost fell forward trying to grab his hair, crying out when Gordie caught him by his chest.

“C’mon Lee you’re alright.” He said in a soft calm voice.

Melony swelled a little with pride as her and Gordie situated themselves to move Leon back down the hall effectively. 

A bit of stumbling and bumping later they had finally gotten into a clumsy aid with both their hands on his back and Gordie using his shoulder to support a good amount of his weight. The walk back down the hall wasn’t very far but holy hell Leon was heavy. It took all of Gordie and Melony combined to get him over to where they were sitting. They tried to let him down easy onto the floor but he seemed to prefer to crumble in a way that knocked his body rather painfully, but he didn’t seem to mind as he sprawled out on the floor and returned the cookie he had been holding to his mouth. 

Melony let out an exhausted breath as Leon started stimming by tapping on the floor, but smiled when Gordie sat down beside Leon and lifted his head into his lap to keep him from knocking it against the tile. 

He looked beyond exhausted and stressed with that cookie halfway hanging out of his mouth, but Gordie beginning to braid a small section of his hair made him crack the tiniest smile as his stim softened into a gentle tapping on the tile.

She sat down on the ground again, across from the two boys. She could feel the stress on her body from the horribly long day. It had only been two hours, but those hours had felt like a lifetime. But Raihan was going to be okay. 

“So,” Gordie started, “you’re pregnant?”

“Surprise I guess,” Melony slightly laughed, looking at Gordie. “I was planning on telling you all, at dinner next week. Trust me, I wasn’t planning on hiding this from you.”

“Does Kabu know?”

“Of course he does. He was so excited.”

“Well I’m glad. Hell of a time to tell us.”

“Oh definitely. But don’t worry about it. Let’s just focus on Raihan for right now.”

Gordie nodded, turning his attention back to Leon, who had fallen asleep with his cookie still handing out of his mouth.

“Can you wait on food,” Melony asked. “I’ll tell Kabu to come later. When we’re back in Raihan’s room.”

“I mean I can wait,” Gordie said, “But what about Lee.”

“I keep a few snacks in my purse and I grabbed a few cookies for him, but by the looks of it, he’s gonna be asleep for a while.” Melony pulled out her phone, going to text her husband. “Take a nap Gordie. It’s going to be a long night.” 

He just nodded, leaning his body back against the wall, visibly relaxing. 

All her boys were going to be okay. It might take a while, but they would be okay. 

-

She had no clue how long it had been since she had fallen asleep. Gordie was still asleep by the looks of it and Leon was still lying on the ground beside him, scrolling through his phone.

“Leon,” her voice broke the heavy silence in the room. “How long has it been sweetheart?”

“It’s been ‘bout three hours,” he mumbled, “Nothin’ much happened.”

“Well that’s good,” she said back, sitting up and adjusting her outfit. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m a little hungry,” he mumbled, yawning slightly at the end of the sentence. “Haven’t really had anything.”

“Do you want another cookie?” She ruffled through her purse, looking for the second cookie she grabbed for him earlier. 

“Yes ma’am,” he mumbled, basically crawling over to sit beside her. “When do ya think Raihan will get out?”

“He should be out soon. I don’t think we would have slept through the ending of his surgery,” she said, turning to face him and handing him the other cookie. “Do you wanna go for a walk? After you eat?”

“That’d be nice.”

Leon was tired, she could tell. His eyes seemed heavy and he didn’t seem like the ray of sunshine that he normally was. He slowly ate his cookie, not taking his eyes off where they were fixated on the ground. Maybe all the blood he gave was making him feel even more exhausted. 

“How was your nap?” She couldn’t help but mother him. He had slowly become one of her children that she had always loved and adored - even if he wasn’t actually one of her children. “You passed out quick after you gave blood.”

Leon shrugged, going to scratch at the cotton ball over where they had drawn blood. 

“Don’t do that honey, you’ll make it bleed again,” she fussed, gently pulling his arm - partially so she could look at the wound. The wound had stopped bleeding, but she could see the bruise forming around the vein. He winced slightly as she touched around the bruise, almost whimpering when she looked for any more blood. 

“I’m sorry darling,” she said, brushing back Leon’s hair from his face - just so she could look at his eyes. “Ready to go for a walk? I think it’ll be good to stretch our legs.”

Leon smiled and nodded, quickly finishing off his cookie and reaching out for Melony’s hand. She stood up, motioning for him to follow her. She grabbed his hand gently, pulling his attention away from where Doctor Brandson was doing something in Raihan’s chest. She didn’t want Leon to see what Raihan was going through.

The hallway wasn’t much of a change, but it was something different than the room that looked into the operating room where Raihan was. Leon’s hand in hers was a welcome comfort, something that she had treasured since he had shown up in her life - especially with Raihan. The hallway was quiet, minus the sounds of their footsteps on the pristine white tile.

“How do you feel Lee,” Melony asked, actually concerned for how he was feeling. “Today has been a mess for all of us and I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’ll be fine Missus Melony,” he said with a small smile, “as long as Raihan is going to be okay. If he’s okay, I’ll be okay.”

She smiled at that, squeezing his hand lightly. The quiet air seemed off putting as they kept wandering around the hallways and as they kept walking, part of Melony wanted to turn to run back to that operating room to make sure Raihan was going to be okay. 

“Do you know where we’re going Lee,” she half laughed, looking at the hallways that all looked the same to her. “I swear they make all the hallways here the same.”

“We aren’t too far from where we started,” he said, looking down at his feet. “I was just trying to find a bathroom.”

“Well I’m sure that there is one close by. Hospitals really try to make everything more confusing for the people who aren’t actually staying in the hospital huh?”

Leon laughed at that which made Melony smile slightly. “They really just tried to make everything look the same for no real reason. I don’t like how flat and boring it is.”

“Nothing like your boyfriend’s apartment.”

“I think that’s part of their design plan honestly. Chaos everywhere. But organized chaos.”

“I don’t think Gordie’s room would be considered ‘organized chaos’. I still don’t know what happened with those boys. They started off so sweet as children.”

“I remember meeting Rai in the wild area. Despite everything, he was always so sweet.”

“Is that how you two met? He never told me - believe it or not. I just remember you two in Circhester and how he had to help you limp through the ice. He was so in love with you.”

“He was?”

“He absolutely was. When he first showed up, after a week or so, he kept asking when you would come over and play. It took awhile before either of you realized you were in love.”

Leon laughed at that, pulling Melony into a hug. She willingly let him, wrapping her own arms around his waist. Through his chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat. A steady heartbeat - something that she hadn’t heard in the hours that they had been there. A steady, calm, heartbeat. 

She gently ran her hand up and down his back, letting her nails scratch his spine. She could tell he loved the simple touch of affection. 

“Do you think Raihan is going to be okay?” Leon asked, a scared tone in his voice.

“Raihan is going to be just fine. He’s in the best hands in the world and I don’t think Doctor Brandson would give up on Raihan easily.”

Leon nodded, still keeping her in a tight hug. They really had no need to talk and Melony knew that. They both just needed a moment. A moment to realize how lucky they are that Raihan was still alive and that he would be okay. That their Raihan would come back to them.

“Now come on little Lee,” she said, pulling out of the hug. “Let’s go find that bathroom and then go back to Rai.”

-

They had just made it back to the room by the time that Gordie was just waking up. Doctor Brandson was still bent over Raihan, not paying attention to the light music that was playing through the operating room. She hadn’t even noticed what he had been playing music.

“Did you just get up pebble,” Melony said, looking over at Gordie - who was rubbing his eyes and stretching slightly. 

“Yes ma’am,” he yawned, sitting up against the wall more. “Where did you two run off to?”

“Just went walking around. I wanted to stretch my legs and Leon tagged along.” She sat on the ground again, across from Gordie and Leon sat beside her, leaning his head against the cool wall. “Did you nap well?”

“Well enough,” he mumbled. “Now I’m hungry and wondering how much longer we’re going to be here.”

“We should get an update soon.” Leon said, starting to slightly stim as he tapped his sternum. “They just can’t leave us in the dark.”

“I’m sure they’ll update us soon sweet boy,” Melony said, trying to comfort him. “I personally think it’s okay that we aren’t getting updates. That means that things are going well and Rai. A doctor not bothering us is a good thing.”

A knock sounded on the door of the room, drawing the conversation away from the three on the floor.

“Hi,” the nurse that had handed Melony all the paperwork at the beginning said. “Doctor Brandson wanted me to give you Mister Perez’s shirt and jacket. It’s a little scorched, but it is mostly intact.”

“Thank you,” Melony said, standing up and walking over to grab the articles of clothing from the nurse’s hands. “Is there any update on how much longer the surgery will last?” 

“I believe Doctor Brandson said there is another hour to finish everything up. He has already patched the hole in his heart and the pacemaker should be installed as soon as we start closing up his chest. So it should only be another hour.” The nurse had a small smile on her face as she relayed the news.

Melony’s heart filled with joy as she realized what that news meant. It would be another hour before she got the chance to see her son again. Raihan was going to be okay and they would get to see him again. 

“Thank you so much,” she said as the nurse left, leaving her standing there with a smile. She turned around to face the two boys on the ground. “Raihan has another hour in surgery. So he’ll be out soon!”

“Does that mean he’s going to be okay,” Leon asked, voice going as quiet as he could manage. She knew he was scared and he had every right to be. With how this day was going, Leon had no clue what was going on. 

“He’s going to be okay darling,” Melony said, sitting down beside him and handing him Raihan’s jacket. “They gave me his clothes and I know you love his jacket.”

The smile on Leon’s face could be seen from a mile away as he hugged the fabric close to his body. She could see him visibly relax as he happily held the jacket, watching him happily stim. He wrapped the jacket around his body, giving her a loving look as he pulled the fabric tight. 

“Thank you so much Missus Melony,” he mumbled. 

“Not a problem sweetheart,” she said, kissing him gently on his head as he nuzzled into her side. “Stay awake for another hour okay? Then we can see Rai.”

Leon nodded at that, pulling out his phone and mindlessly scrolling through whatever app he had open before. Gordie looked at Melony, giving her a small look before she motioned him over to come sit by her side. He placed his head on her shoulder, happily smiling and just letting Melony pet his hair gently.

“Raihan is going to be okay,” she said with a soft voice. “We’re all going to be okay.”

-

Time moved slowly as the remaining hour dragged on. The knowledge that Raihan was going to be okay made her happy but the fact that time just seemed to move as slowly as it did made Melony worry more as the hour dragged on. One more hour until she could see her boy. One more hour until she would be able to know that he is okay. That he was alive. 

Leon and Gordie were still scrolling on their phones. Nobody was really talking - which was fine. But silence was something that she wasn’t used to. With her boys, something was always going on that made them as loud and talkative as they were normally. She missed the constant chatter from everyone. It was always so comforting just to talk to someone, even if it was just a small conversation about nothing. But silence was good here. Silence meant that everything was going good.

She had lost track of time. Kabu had texted her once or twice - asking for updates - but she had nothing to tell him besides the fact that he was still in surgery but they were all starting to get hungry. She was tired of just waiting. 

“Hello,” the oddly familiar voice of Doctor Brandson sounded through the room, making Melony jump a little. “So sorry to startle you, but I wanted to come and properly introduce myself now that Raihan’s surgery is done. My name is Doctor Spencer Brandson and I’m very happy to say that Raihan is completely okay.”

“He’s out of surgery,” the shock in Leon’s voice was very evident as he repeated the news that his lover would be okay. “Oh my God. He’s going to be okay.”

Melony hugged him tight, feeling his happiness radiating off him. Her own heart was filled with joy as the thought of Raihan finally being okay.

“Now, one person can go see him in recovery. If any of you are extremely sensitive to blood, I wouldn’t suggest going to see him. That chest wound is quite nasty. I mean it looks good, better than most fresh open heart surgery wounds, but it is still fresh.” Doctor Brandson said with a small smile, looking at Melony directly. “I would suggest you Missus Melony just because you are his mother and it might be more comforting to him.”

“Would you two be okay if I go see Rai?” Melony asked, looking at both Gordie and Leon who were still close by her side. 

“If you two want, I already assigned Mister Perez to room 309 on the gym leader ward and I can get a nurse to walk you to the room while I take Missus Melony here to go see him.” 

Both Gordie and Leon nodded at that, Leon pulling Raihan’s jacket closer around his shoulders. Melony could see the exhaustion on Leon’s face. He was still smiling, but he was slowly showing more signs of exhaustion. 

“I’ll take Lee up to the room. Do you want me to call Kabu and tell him to bring Raihan’s stuff,” Goride said, standing up and helping Leon stand up with him. 

“Yes please,” Melony said, standing up beside them and gently rubbing Leon’s back as he walked over to Gordie’s side. “Can you take my bag with you pebble? I’m sure I won’t be long with Raihan.”

Gordie nodded and picked up her purse from the floor, gently waving before he grabbed Leon’s hand and walked out the room, leaving Melony with Doctor Brandson in the room. 

“If you want to walk with me Missus Melony,” Doctor Brandson said, “I will take you to go see your son.”

The walk was nice, though she felt awkward walking beside the tall man that was Doctor Brandson. 

“You know I don’t know how Raihan lived as long as he has been alive. The hole in his heart was huge and quite frankly, I was shocked by it.” Doctor Brandson said, giving Melony a small smile. “You have a very strong son. He’s definitely a fighter.”

“He always has been,” Melony laughed a bit. “When he first showed up at my house, the poor boy could barely stand on his own and now look at him. He’s a great kid honestly.”

“Any idea where he could have gotten the hole from? My theory is that he was born with it and it just worsened over the years but I wonder if anything else caused it.”

“I don’t know much of his life before he was thirteen. I’m just glad he’s grown up into such a fine young man. He’s always been a joy.” 

“Well I can tell he’s going to be a fantastic patient.” Doctor Brandson stopped in front of a set of double doors. “Now I do have to warn you that Raihan is a bit of a mess currently. His body has been through a lot and he is heavily drugged up.”

“I’ve seen him in worse states,” Melony sighed, thinking back to the first year that Raihan has showed up. “This can’t be the worst thing that has ever happened to him, believe it or not.”

“I like the way you think,” Doctor Brandson laughed, opening one of the double doors. “He will be the second bed on the right. They should have taken out his endotracheal tube, but I’m sure that he’s excited to see you.”

“Thank you so much.” Melony smiled gently as she walked into the quiet ward, listening to the slight chatter from the bed that Doctor Brandson had pointed to. She could see the small huddle of nurses surrounding the bed that she assumed Raihan was and her heart fluttered a bit at the sound of the steady heartbeat. A nurse turned around and smiled at her, motioning her over so she could see Raihan. 

“Mama,” Raihan’s rough voice sounded as soon as they made eye contact. He looked horrible if she was being honest. His chest was bloody and he could barely reach out to her. She made her way beside Raihan, reaching out to grab his left hand and squeeze it gently.

“Hello little dragon,” she said with a soft voice, using her free hand to brush his cheek gently. He looked out of it but still happily nuzzled into her hand regardless. It was oddly comforting, holding Raihan close like this. She hadn’t seen him this weak in years, but she was glad that he had some comfort when he was obviously in pain.

“Lee here?” Raihan mumbled, not even managing to make a full sentence. She laughed slightly, still rubbing a small circle on his cheek. 

“Yes he is,” she said, brushing his hair gently. “When they take you up to your room, you’ll be able to see him. He’s been real worried about you. But don’t worry about him right now, you’ll get to see him soon.”

Raihan smiled and nodded, nuzzling closer into her touch before being pulled away by a nurse to get an oxygen mask slipped on.

“Sorry Mister Perez,” the nurse said, securing the mask around his head. “This is gonna help you breathe a bit better honey.”

Melony smiled at that, holding Raihan’s head close to her chest, letting him cuddle close to her. She ran her fingers across his scalp, letting him smile as he purred lightly. Something about this felt so simple and loving that she couldn’t help but feel happy that Raihan was back. That Raihan was alive. 

“Alright sir, due to the fact that you are going to be stuck in bed here for a bit, we are going to have to put in a catheter,” the head nurse said, pating Raihan’s arm gently to wake him up again. “Is there anything that would make this more difficult or would impede us from putting in the catheter?”

Melony shook her head, laughing slightly as Raihan started to purr as she gently played with his hair. “Everything should be fine. As long as you don’t need him completely awake, you’ll be fine.” 

The nurse laughed at that, motioning for another nurse to get the stuff that was needed for the catheter. Raihan was quiet, softly purring and enjoying the comfort that Melony was giving him. This entire day had been a mess, but there was some temporary comfort in just holding him. The steady heartbeat sound coming from the machine made her heart fill with joy.

“Ma’am,” a nurse giggled, looking back at Melony. “Are you aware that your son has piercings… down here?”

Raihan’s laugh caught her off guard as she looked down at him before laughing slightly herself and shaking her head. “I honestly wouldn’t be surprised. He got one set of piercings and now he won’t stop.”

“Sorry mama,” Raihan giggled, giving her a small smile. “They make me feel very pretty.”

“You are very pretty,” she said back, kissing his head and giving his head a few pats. “I’m just not very surprised that that was something you decided to do.”

The smile on Raihan’s face was noticeable, but quickly disappeared when Raihan felt a nurse touch him. Melony could feel the tension in his body and felt his nails digging into her back. 

“Baby what’s wrong,” she said, dropping her voice to a low tone to see what had caused Raihan to panic. She could see the panic in his eyes and his heart rate was skyrocketing according to the monitor.

“Mama - why are they touching me,” he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. “What’s going on mama?”

Shit. Melony had forgotten about Raihan’s past. Her eyes widened slightly as she reached out to stop the nurse who was about to inject the local anaesthetic. The nurse paused and gave her a confused look before looking at Raihan fully.

“I forgot he has a past with CSA,” she rushed out. “That’s completely my fault for not remembering, but…”

“Oh don’t worry about that ma’am,” the head nurse said, walking over to Raihan’s right side and gently grabbing his arm. “We’re going to sedate him. That’s just our protocol. It’s to protect both the patient and our nurses. Do you have any objection to that?”

“No - of course not. If it’ll help him, do whatever you need to do. As long as it’ll make him more comfortable.” Melony pulled Raihan closer again, letting him shake and calm down in her arms. He was still breathing heavily and shaking. 

The nurse nodded and messed with something on Raihan’s IV stand. Melony couldn’t focus on her though, her attention was fully on Raihan. He had calmed down as the medicine had entered his system. She gently brushed his cheek, letting him rest his head against her chest. 

“You’re okay darling. You’re gonna be just fine,” she whispered, kissing his head to try to keep his mind focused on what she was doing and not where his mind could be wandering.

If there was noise, Melony didn’t notice it. Raihan was silent as he ever so slowly slipped into unconsciousness. His head was heavy as Melony gently laid his body down on the bed from where he was leaned up against her. His heart beat had slowed down to normal again as she situated the blankets around him. He looked peaceful asleep. He looked calm.

“Sleep well little dragon,” she whispered, kissing him on his cheek. “Mama loves you so much”

**Author's Note:**

> Well- that was a wild ride  
> see you in two weeks maybe?


End file.
